OP: In Praise of Irish Breakfasts

Stone Street Press, 1991. Paperback. Near Fine. Signed first printing.

Irish born, turned New Yorker, Malachi McCormick (1937–  ) established his Stone Street Press on Staten Island in 1980. Mostly focusing on Irish food, drink, poetry, and folklore, McCormick also printed whatever else struck his fancy—everything from poems about cats to Yiddish and African proverbs.

In his scarce book In Praise of Irish Breakfasts (1991), McCormick first gives us a personal account of his love and appreciation for breakfast, then provides conversational recipes for the best his countryfolk have to offer. The whole is laced with charm and humor and is easily read from cover to cover; you’ll leave it feeling lighter and wiser.

Of boiled eggs, he says, 

"It’s the variables that make it hard, and, as in love, every little thing seems to count!

"There’s the size of the egg: the bigger the egg, the longer it takes. There’s the volume of water; water temperature; intensity of the heat; even the accuracy of the timer.

"And then, there’s the angst. An egg cracks in water: it exudes stuff you wish it would keep to itself…it’s a deeply disturbing experience, even for the hardboiled."

Describing a black pudding spied at Dean and Deluca, he says its “little sign read ‘boudin noir!’ And, naturally, this upwardly mobile sausage also cost four times as much!”

And to drink: “There are only three drinks to have with our breakfast: tea, stout, or black velvet.”

Handsomely produced, this slim offering (37 pages; 5.75” x 8.75”) is calligraphed, not typeset, and hand bound. Ours is in Near Fine condition with minimal shelfwear. We’re not aware of any other copies of this title on the market. Limited edition of 495. Signed and numbered on the colophon.